Education Information & Guidance
Expected levels of progress and grading
Reformed GCSEs – A Parent’s Guide
As you are probably aware, the government has introduced radical new changes to the structure and assessment of GCSEs.
The familiar system of A*-G grades has been replaced with number grading, 9-1. Also, in addition to the changes to the structure of GCSEs, the Department of Education has re-defined a ‘standard pass’ to be a grade 4 (the equivalent to a C in the old GCSE grading system) and a ‘strong pass’ to be a grade 5 (the equivalent to a high C or low B).
Only reformed subjects can be studied from 2018 onwards.
In reformed GCSEs, the ‘lettered’ A*-G system is replaced with numbers, ranging from 9 to 1.
9 is the highest grade that candidates can achieve and 1 is the lowest. In addition, GCSE content is becoming significantly more difficult over the coming years.
Here’s a diagram of how the old scores compare to the newer ones:
|
9-1 |
Old GCSE |
BTEC |
|
|
9 |
A* |
Level 2 Distinction* |
|
|
8 |
|||
|
7 |
A |
Level 2 Distinction |
|
|
6 |
B |
|
|
|
5 |
Level 2 Merit |
||
|
C |
Level 2 Pass |
||
|
4 |
|||
|
3 |
D |
Level 1 Distinction |
|
|
E |
|
||
|
2 |
Level 1 Merit |
||
|
F |
|
||
|
1 |
Level 1 Pass |
||
|
G |
|
||
|
U |
U |
|
The main features of the new GCSEs are:
- The new grading system help distinguish the new GCSEs from previous versions.
- Assessment to be mainly by exam, with other types of assessment used only where they are needed to test essential skills.
- There is new, more demanding content, which has been developed by government and the exam boards. Extended writing skills and advanced text comprehension are essential skills in new qualifications.
- Exams are split into ‘foundation tier’ and ‘higher tier’ if one exam paper does not give all students the opportunity to show their knowledge and abilities.
- Resit opportunities will only be available each November in English Language and Mathematics.
